Tell me what you think of this config

[drew and not u]

I spec'd out a system for a buddy of mine. He's mostly going to do music and internet, with some occasional gaming. He's on a fairly tight budget, but he wants a quality setup. He'll not be overclocking.


Case: Antec 900 $99 shipped

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2L $95 shipped

Processor: Core2Duo E6550 $170 shipped

PSU: Antec Neopower 500 $108 shipped

RAM: 2GB OCZ Platinum $55 shipped

HD: Seagate 7200.10 320GB w/ perp recording $80 shipped

Optical: Lite-On DVD-RW $35 shipped

He'll upgrade to a discrete graphics solution as money allows (probably a 9600GT).

Any suggestions?

[Parker]

You could save some money and get the Cooler Master 690 case w/550w PSU for $150.
HERE

Good case, good deal!
BTW, you have a new PM.

[gvblake22]

You can save some money by going with the Corsair VX450 PSU. I also prefer the Samsung DVD drives. I have a total of three now (two SATA and one PATA) and they are great; quiet and reliable. Otherwise, as long as overclocking isn't something he wants to excel in, that system should do just fine.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

On the other hand, you could save some money with this 500W OCZ StealthXStream which is running $49.99 after a MIB.
Newegg.com - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 500W Power Supply 100 - 240 V - Retail

[oldman_gamer]

Originally Posted by drew and not u

I spec'd out a system for a buddy of mine. He's mostly going to do music and internet, with some occasional gaming. He's on a fairly tight budget, but he wants a quality setup. He'll not be overclocking.


Case: Antec 900 $99 shipped

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2L $95 shipped

Processor: Core2Duo E6550 $170 shipped

PSU: Antec Neopower 500 $108 shipped

RAM: 2GB OCZ Platinum $55 shipped

HD: Seagate 7200.10 320GB w/ perp recording $80 shipped

Optical: Lite-On DVD-RW $35 shipped

He'll upgrade to a discrete graphics solution as money allows (probably a 9600GT).

Any suggestions?

Any specific reason for that case Drew? I would push getting the case im using or the case thats for sale in the HL forum (LOL) If it didnt sell yet.(see gvblake custom case mod)
Newegg is showing the case you have here for $94.99,with free ship, you could save about 45%.

The processor is a good choice,very happy with mine.

[drew and not u]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I think that Corsair PSU will be the way to go, as we definitely want a modular PSU.
He likes the Antec 900 Case, but a smaller case might not be bad either. If we didn't go with that we'd probably go with a mini-tower or a cube case (would still have to fit a standard PSU).
This one for instance. I like the Antec cube case, but it's more than the 900 and has a PSU he'd have to sell or settle with. I also sent him a link to the Centurion 5, as that looks like a really good value. Any other suggestions for the case?

[Parker]

I think the antec 900 would be good for him, it's very free flowing and will give some good temps.

[onebxr]

Originally Posted by drew and not u

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I think that Corsair PSU will be the way to go, as we definitely want a modular PSU.
He likes the Antec 900 Case, but a smaller case might not be bad either. If we didn't go with that we'd probably go with a mini-tower or a cube case (would still have to fit a standard PSU).
This one for instance. I like the Antec cube case, but it's more than the 900 and has a PSU he'd have to sell or settle with. I also sent him a link to the Centurion 5, as that looks like a really good value. Any other suggestions for the case?

ref-case
might take a look at these cases, they are refurbs, so you take a chance there, but I have an HTPC case from them that looks ok. Also you have to catch them when they are in stock. Add them to cart and it will tell you if there are any left.
-1

[oldman_gamer]

Originally Posted by drew and not u

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I think that Corsair PSU will be the way to go, as we definitely want a modular PSU.
He likes the Antec 900 Case, but a smaller case might not be bad either. If we didn't go with that we'd probably go with a mini-tower or a cube case (would still have to fit a standard PSU).
This one for instance. I like the Antec cube case, but it's more than the 900 and has a PSU he'd have to sell or settle with. I also sent him a link to the Centurion 5, as that looks like a really good value. Any other suggestions for the case?

That cube looks cool ! I just got the 900 case yesterday...it has some size to it,but looks real nice and should be easy to work inside of.

Did you take a look at the case/mod Blake finished up? That looks something like the 900 with a modified twist to it.

[Quakindude]

Personally, I like to see at least 24A on the +3.3v and +5v lines. The 3.3V in particular as the motherboard and CPU, especially the CPU, draws the majority of its power from that line. Older motherboards relied heavily on the +5 and used regulators to drop the voltage to 3.3v for some sub-systems, but newer boards today are setup mainly for 3.3V usage. There's other systems, like the PCI-e slots, that are powered from the 3.3V line. The PCI slots also draw from the 3.3V. The available amps becomes very critical when overclocking. The Corsair and OCZ PSU's are known for low ripple as well.

Having said all of that, I recommend the Corsair 520w modular. Healthy 3.3v and 5v lines as well as 18A per rail. My second choice would be the OCZ.